Hearts, Eternally Bound
by TheHardestFall
Summary: Together Akko and Diana managed to make it through an impossible first year at the DWMA and are now on to the next adventure- year two. With new challenges to overcome, secrets to learn, and a new threat more dangerous than any witch looming on the horizon can they overcome the seemingly impossible in one piece, let alone together?
1. Chapter 1

Hey hey hey everyone welcome back and welcome to Book 2! I hope everyone is doing well and having a great holiday season! If you're a long time reader, thank you for coming back, I hope this holds up to your expectations! If you're a newcomer, welcome! Please make sure you read Souls, Forever Linked and Akko and Dianas Bogus Adventure before you hop into this one. Souls is the first book in the story and Bogus is a short story that takes place between. Unfortunately, without them, this story won't make much sense.

I've worked hard to improve my writing, and I hope this reads better than Souls did. My promise to you guys is to deliver quality writing with every update, which will be coming at the usual week to two-week mark. If I get tied down with stuff and will be taking longer to post, I'll let you know! I do have a Tumblr (Thehardestfall67) and will be posting updates, links to new stories (at least one is in the pipes!), fan art, and answering questions or comments that are submitted! I know the site is about to become a ghost town in about 4 days, but I'll still be there.

Lastly, ImaginaryEngineer has withdrawn as my beta due to time constraints on her end. So a last thank you to her for running an initial beta job on chapters one through 6 to her. And now a big thank you to kellygonzalezk001 for stepping into the role and really working over chapter one!

Alright that's all from me. I know this chapter is a bit short, but theres plenty more to come. Enjoy!

 **Chapter 1**

"Akko duck!"

The young meister dove behind a barricade, the projectile missing her head by half an inch, and clutched her gun to her chest. More projectiles flew over her head and burst against the wall in front of her.

"Akko come on get moving!" Professor Ursula's voice sounded from several feet away. She was laying down cover fire for Akko so she could make her move. The brunette groaned before she shifted into a crouch. She took a deep breath as she turned and vaulted over the barricade and charged in for the kill.

Unfortunately, her opponent knew what was going on. There was a short series of pops and then the next thing she knew, there was a horrible stinging pain in her chest, stomach, and legs. She dropped like a rock.

"That's game!" The lights came up as Amanda O'Neill announced her victory to the room.

Ursula took her face shield off and walked over to Akko, who was laying on the ground looking up at the ceiling. She smiled and leaned into her students line of sight "Are you ok Akko?"

Akko blinked and then threw her paintball gun across the room. "No! I don't like guns! I want Diana back! This completely sucks! Professor, I keep telling you and Shinigami-Sama I don't want a gun-type weapon; I want a sword! I want Diana!" She was flailing her arms and legs by the time she finished yelling.

"Ha! Kagari you look like a turtle stuck on its back!" Amanda's face entered Akkos line of sight as well "You going to make it?"

Akko crossed her arms and made a face, making sure to look away and grumbled. "No. I want my partner back."

Ursula sighed. "Akko we talked about this. Diana still isn't clear to fight, her wrist and hand still haven't healed and you can't start the school year without a partner. Someone is transferring in, but we don't know what type of weapon she is so Lord Death wanted you to brush up on everything."

Amanda held out her hand. "When is Princess coming back anyway?"

Akko rolled her eyes but took Amanda's hand and let her help her up "I wish you would stop calling her that. She said she would be back tomorrow."

Her fellow meister nodded "Why did she leave anyway? You never mentioned."

"She said she had to get a few things from home. She wasn't very specific. She promised it was only for a few days though."

"Good. We still have one more night to raise hell before the fun-police comes back."

"Amanda!"

"What? It's the truth!"

While it wasn't a complete lie, Akko still didn't appreciate the joke. She looked down at her paint stained clothes, wishing her friend was back already.

(~*~*~*~*~*~)

Thousands of miles away, Diana Cavendish found herself standing in the damp, dust-caked catacombs beneath Cavendish Manor with her cousin, who was rummaging through some boxes. "Merrill what were you even doing down here in the first place?"

The older blonde dove deeper into a large box. "Well, I was looking for Great Aunt Meredith's journals. Apparently, she was a very skilled healer and I decided that if I'm going to have this power, I might as well put it to use. Anyhow, I was looking for them and stumbled onto a box that had Aunt Bernadette's name on it and I thought, well, they should be with you rather than down here collecting dust and mildew. I just wish I could remember where I saw them…"

Diana watched as her older cousin struggled for a second to pull herself out of the box before she finally managed to pull it off "Merrill, I never realized how much of a klutz you are."

The older blonde chuckled "Can't really say it runs in the fam-OH!" she walked across the wet stone floor to a pile of boxes stacked against the wall and pulled a newer looking box out, struggling under the weight a bit, before she brought it over and set it down in front of Diana.

Diana knelt and took a second, not sure what she was about to find. It could have been anything, and who knew what other secrets this family had. For all she knew, there could have been a dragon in there with them.

 _You're being ridiculous. Just open the box already…_

Steeling herself, she blew the dust off before she used her good hand to pull the flaps apart and opened the old cardboard container.

Books. It was full of books. She picked one up and brushed some dust off it and that was when she realized they weren't books. Her mother's name was stamped into the leather cover. They were journals. Tons of them.

Diana looked up at Merrill, surprise written all over her face. The older girl smiled "Surprise! I'll have Carter bring them up so you can take them home."

The weapon broke out into a smile that, for once, reached her eyes "Thank you, Merrill."

"You're welcome. Hey, do you by chance happen to have any idea were Great Aunt Meredith's journals went?"

Diana shook her head "No, but I can help you look."

(~*~*~*~*~*~)

The flight home was long, and Diana was exhausted, but rather than sleep she decided to crack open the first journal.

 _May 29th_

 _DWMA_

 _Dear journal,_

 _So I've made the decision to begin keeping a journal. According to Daryl, it sometimes helps people with higher anxiety levels. She's worried I'm under too much pressure and while I believe I'm fine, I did promise her I would try. So here we are._

Diana blinked, surprised that her Aunt actually cared about her mother. Daryl had always spoken about her with such a disgusting amount of contempt that Diana had always just assumed that there had never been much of a relationship between the two sisters.

 _In other news, I'm one month away from graduation and one witch away from becoming a Death Scythe. There are reports of activity in Spain and Adele, my meister, and I are fairly certain we are the ones that will be sent to deal with it. Adele's very anxious but I'm confident we can handle it. Not only are we able to perform advanced attacks from_ Martin's Sword Technique, Volume 4 _but we are close to perfecting our second stage resonance attack. It's hard to believe I started out unable to resonate at all, and yet here I am. I am very much looking forward to being able to protect people better and continue to restore House Cavendish to its former glory._

 _That's all for now, Adele and I are going out to celebrate a friend's birthday and I need to get ready. I suppose I will make entries once a day, maybe for a week to see if this actually does make a difference._

 _Until tomorrow,_

 _Bernadette_

The signature at the bottom wasn't her mother's scrolly, cursive signature Diana had grown up knowing. It was just printed, with a curved line underscoring it. She leaned back in her seat and tried to process what she had just read. Her mother actually had a hard time resonating just like her! Somehow, that gave her comfort. If her mother could overcome it, then she could too.

She leaned back into her seat and flipped the page to the next entry.

 _May 31st_

 _DWMA_

 _Dear Journal,_

 _So much for writing every day. Unfortunately, Adele got herself into a fight at the party. By herself, I mean us. The meister's name is James Nux and he is quite the hothead. Neither his partner, Trinity, or I wanted to get involved but we decided that if they were going to try and beat each other to pieces, we might as well be there to protect them._

 _The fight itself was short and ended in a draw; namely due to Trinity and I refusing to resonate or work with them. Without our help, they were basically swinging around a regular sword and scythe, where's the fun in that?_

 _As to why I didn't write yesterday, I was in detention and then had training. They decided to try a new policy where if a student misbehaves, they punish the student's partner as well. I guess the hope is that the delinquent will think twice and not want to drag their partner down with them. I can tell you first hand this is not effective. At least it gives me more time to study. I swear Adele is going to be the death of me._

 _Well, that's all for now._

 _Until tomorrow,_

 _Bernadette._


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone** happy holidays! I hope whatever holiday you celebrate was awesome and if you don't celebrate, I hope you had a good day! Sorry for the length of this, I normally like to do doubles when a chapter like this is short, but the holidays have slowed my writing down. Just need another week or two and Ill be back on track! Also sorry about the formatting on here, FF is running slow and not cooperating with me!

Now a word to our reviewers!

Kinoco-cha: I'm glad you enjoyed the story! I'm definitely going to try and work in more of the red, blue and green teams this time around, as well as more Merrill for sure! I agree, she doesn't get enough love! I'm also glad you like the journal feature, there's more of that to come as well! Thank you for sticking with the series and leaving reviews! Always appreciated bro!

Also, a special shout out to a very good friend of mine for drawing the cover art for the story! They wanted to stay anon., but you know who you are and you should know you're and awesome artist! hope others would agree!

And last but certainly not least, a thank you to kellygonzolezk001 for betaing for me! Always appreciated bro!

 **Chapter 2**

Lord Death stood at his mirror, seemingly spaced out and silent.

Behind him stood Spirit and none other than Professor Sid Barrett. They both stood quietly, watching their leader curiously.

Spirit blinked and leaned over to Sid. "Should we say something?"

The zombie professor shrugged; "I don't have anywhere to be, do you?"

"Not really."

They stood in silence for another few minutes, then Sid leaned over. "Do you think he fell asleep?"

The Death Scythe shrugged ."I don't know. I've never seen him sleep. I don't think he needs to. He is a god after all."

"Maybe that means he needs to sleep more. He does have more to do."

Neither of them saw Lord Death's face twitch in irritation.

Spirit shrugged "Who knows? Although I feel bad for him if he doesn't know the amazing feeling of waking up after six-hour nap."

Sid smiled, "You know what feels really good? Waking up after being dead."

"Oh yeah, I bet that felt great!"

"It did, it was very refreshing."

"Did you-"

Lord Death whipped around; "No one can sleep with you two yacking like that you know! Now what did you two want?"

Sid stepped forward as Spirit repeatedly bowed in apology; "Sir, I have the reports you asked for."

The death god crooked his head to the side "Reports?"

"Uh, yes. The ones on the kishin eggs transforming, growing stronger?"

"They're doing that?"

Spirit facepalmed. Sid sighed, "Yes, sir. You asked for every bit of information we had on them, including the rate at which its incre-"

"AH! Yes the reports! Thank you, Sid! I appreciate this! I know a lot of effort must have gone into getting everything together!"

Sid nodded "Your welcome, sir. I have to ask; do you have any idea who's doing it or how to tell which ones are affected?"

Lord Death shook his head "Not yet. Hopefully, after reading these, I'll have some kind of answer for you all. For now, just stay vigilant and keep an eye on the students."

Sid nodded "Of course sir. "

(*~*~*~*~*~*)

Akko stood, flanked by Lotte and Sucy, looking up at the mission board. The green board was probably five-foot-tall by at least eight-feet-long and covered in tablets. Each one with writing on it that described a different mission that an E.A.T. team could go on. Some of them were investigations of suspicious incidents: magical or otherwise. Then there were more that were assassinations, object recovery, really anything you could think of.

"Which one should we take, Lotte?" Sucy asked, her monotone voice cutting through the quiet.

"It has been a few weeks." Lotte stepped forward, her hand on her chin. "I think we should take something easy. That way we can ease back into it. "

"Really? I wanted to take a three-star mission."

Akko looked over at her. "What? Sucy, I thought we could only take missions at our level or lower!"

"Akko, I was being sarcastic. Honestly, you make me wonder sometimes."

The brunette huffed and crossed her arms. "Why are you so mean to me all of the time?"

"Because it's fun."

Akko's jaw dropped in a mix of anger and disbelief, causing Sucy to chuckle. She went to say something else but Lotte came over with a tablet before she could. "I like this one Sucy. It's just intelligence gathering in Cuba; sound good?"

"I do like warm weather, reminds me of home." she smiled and walked over the window to talk to the secretary with Lotte.

Akko watched them fill out the paperwork sadly, wishing that it were her and Diana. It was the first day of school, and her first three classes were without the blonde, plus she hadn't seen her since she'd left for Britain. So it had been a week. A week without Diana's presence. A week without that fantastic smile and that cool, collected voice that was always firm and in charge without ever even trying.

"Akko."

 _Yeah, just like that. We have an hour of free time and she's going to want to study. She has to be here somewhere. She wouldn't miss school. I just need to find her._

"Hello, Akko?"

 _Wow, that sounds like her. Maybe I should go get a snack before I go look; I do have a few minutes. I'm so hungry why is this always a thing?_

"Oh hey Diana!" Lotte's voice cut through Akko's inner monologue, bringing her back to reality. Lotte and Sucy were coming back towards her, but they weren't looking at her, they were looking behind her. She turned, following their line of sight, only to find herself face-to-face with her partner.

Diana couldn't help but smile when she saw Akko's face light up. "Hey Ak-"

Akko grabbed Diana and pulled her into a tight hug, forcing the air from her lungs and cutting her off mid-sentence. Diana smiled and hugged Akko back, grateful she was able to do so again. She had missed Akko dearly.

Then the brunette pulled away and tried to kiss her, however Diana tactfully turned away toward Akkos friends " Hello Lotte, Sucy. How are you two doing?"

Lotte smiled "We're doing well, and yourself?"

The heiress smiled politely, "Quite well, thank you for asking."

"How was the trip home?"

Diana smiled again; the gleam of genuine joy in Diana's eyes causing Akko to smile to herself as the blonde spoke. "It was good. I accomplished everything I had hoped to."

Sucy nodded "How is your hand doing? Akko said you have forty-percent of its use back now. That's really good."

Akko shot Sucy a look, Diana's damaged hand still being a sore topic for the heiress, however, Diana took it in stride "Forty-three, actually. And yes, my doctor said I'm healing quite well."

"Does it hurt? I know a recipe for a mushroom-based salve that's supposed to help with pain. It works pretty well, I can make you some if you'd like."

"Thank you, Sucy, however, my doctor gave me something to help with pain should I feel the need. I'll keep it in mind though." While Diana appreciated the offer, she wasn't too keen on using any of Sucys concoctions, especially not the mushroom-based ones.

The meister shrugged "Suit yourself. Lotte, we should get going or we're going to be late. And I bet the lovebirds are going to want to find an empty classroom anyway."

"Sucy!"

Lotte chastised Sucy, but neither Akko nor Diana were really paying attention. They were both blushing and looking at everything except each other. Akkos friends said their goodbyes and left just as the bell rang; leaving Akko and Diana alone in the empty hallway.

The two stood; still blushing but managing to make eye contact for a few awkward moments before Akko finally managed to find her voice, "H-hey."

Diana looked up to see Akko smiling fondly at her, which calmed her down and brought a smile to her own face, "Hey."

Akko turned, and together they set off down the hallway. It didn't take long for Akko to reach out and take Diana's hand "So, how was the trip?"

"It went well. Merrill found my mother's journals and wanted to give them to me."

She looked over at Akko, who was grinning. The Meister knew just how much something like that meant to Diana. "Did you start reading them?"

The blonde nodded, "Yes. I stopped at the entry when she became a Death Scythe. I'm going to read that tonight I think."

The tone of her voice told Akko something was bothering Diana. And she had a feeling she knew what. "We'll get there, stop worrying. It's just a setback."

Diana looked up at her girlfriend for a second, her face unreadable; " Akko…"

"We can do this! Come on let's go practice. Trixie says she found something interesting she wanted to show us, she thinks it could help."

"Akko, I don't want to, not right now. I have some things I need to take care of. I'll see you in class okay?" Diana didn't wait for an answer. She was already walking away before Akko could reply.

The brunette watched her girlfriend walk away and felt her heart sink with every step Diana took. They had gone through so much together. Countless hours of training, classes, workouts. They had gone on missions together, fought and killed both kishin eggs and witches; survived horrible injuries that would have easily killed other people. Akko knew she could rely on Diana for anything and everything, yet the blonde never gave her a chance to return the favor. She wanted to show the heiress how much she loved and cared for her, she just needed the chance

"Hey, Akko! "

Akko was pulled from her melancholy thoughts by a voice behind her. She turned to see Professor Ursula walking up to her. The young meister, while moody, couldn't help but perk up a bit; "Hey Professor, what's up?"

"Your new partner is here! Lord Death wanted me to come and get you so you could meet her"

Akko faked a smile "Okay!"

 _I want Diana!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! Sorry the update took so long, my life has gotten incredibly hectic and lately I hardly seem to have time to sleep, let alone write. In the forthcoming weeks I will be starting a new job with a very different schedule, so there's going to definitely be adjustments to my writing habits, however for better or worse remains to be seen. I am also currently working without a beta, which is also putting a bit of a hindrance on things. That being said I promise I will continue on until the story is told! It might just take a tad bit longer than I would like.**

 **All that being said, I would like to that KellyGonzolezk001 for working with me and helping me to improve the technical aspects of my writing, and for sitting down and working over chapters 1-5! It's all deeply appreciated!**

 **Kinoco-Cha: Thanks so much! Im glad you enjoy the updates my friend! I hope the wait was worth it!**

 **TerraStarKey: Hey welcome back! Thank you so much, that means a lot! I'm glad you decided to continue on with the story, and I hope everything lives up to your expectations!**

 **Chapter 3**

The walk to Shinigami-sama's room made Akko feel like she was walking . She would rather of been with Diana, doing _anything_ but this. She could barely handle a sword, let alone some other type of weapon!

The meister followed behind Professor Ursula begrudgingly. She was acting like a child, but then again she didn't really care. They continued down the walkway, eventually arriving at the end. As they walked over to Lord Death, they saw he wasn't alone. He was chatting with Spirit and a young woman .

Lord Death noticed them first "Ursula, Miss Kagari, hello! Welcome! How are we today?"

Ursula smiled, her head tilting to the side a little "Oh, just fine sir and yourself?"

"Just plucky! Miss Kagari please come over! I'd like you to meet Kadri Avci"

Akko started to walk over but then the other girl turned and stopped Akko in her tracks with a mere glance. She was, in a word, gorgeous. Her long, dark, coffee-colored hair glistened in the light as it fell to her shoulders. Her mocha-colored skin complemented the red lipstick on her plump, smiling lips which in turn brought out her warm, dark-brown eyes. She was also tall, like Diana, but more muscular. She stood with a proud stance, her back straight and her head high. Overall, she looked like she was maybe twenty-one.

She made Akkos knees wobble.

The woman strutted forward, her heels clicking on the stone floor. When she spoke, she spoke with a Turkish accent and a voice that sounded like it belonged in an angelic chorus. "Hello, you must be Atsuko. It's such a pleasure to finally meet you!"

She held out her hand, and it took the young meister a minute to remember how her own hands worked. When she finally managed to take the weapon's hand, she realized her mouth didn't want to work either. "I-me- call Akko."

Kadri laughed, "Are you always this articulate?"

"Call me Akko!" _You're as big a moron as Amanda says you are!_

"Akko, I like it! So," she turned to face the others; "When do we get started?"

Lord Death clapped his hands together "Well, Miss Avci, that depends on you! I would like Akko to start training with you right away, however, I need to know what kind of weapon you are before we go any further! It seems there was a coffee stain on your paperwork on that particular part and the ink bled."

"What? Oh, I'm a katar!"

They all looked at her blankly. Finally, Lord Death turned his head to the side "A what?"

"A katar? A single- let me show you." Before any of them knew what was going on there was a flash of orange, almost red light, and then the next thing Akko knew, there were two weapons strapped to her forearms.

The blades themselves were silver with wavy, gold-trimmed edges. The one on her right hand was roughly a foot-and-a-half long, while the left one was shorter by half-a-foot. The blades connected to an ornate gold metal bar that ran crossways across Akkos knuckles, then bent back to run parallel on either side of Akkos hands to her forearms, where they connected into an eight-inch long leather bracer. Turning her hands over, she noticed that they both had round, ornate cross pieces running across her palms, no doubt for her to hold on to help her control the blades, however, what caught her attention was that the right one had a second crossbar.

 _Impressive, no? Squeeze the crossbars together._

Akko hesitated a second before doing so, was startled when the blade separated into three! Joined at the base, the outer pieces, which had formed the original single blade, was actually a shell that split down the middle, revealing a third black steel blade. "Wow…"

"Hmm, tricky." Lord Death came forward and examined the weapons himself. "Professor Ursula, do you think you can teach Akko how to use these?"

Ursula was silent for a moment as she considered "Well… I might have to do some research, but I believe I can handle it."

"Excellent! I'll expect you all to get to work right away! Kadri, I would like you to start classes tomorrow. Today was the first day of school, so you didn't miss much. I believe the transition will be easy."

There was a flash of light and the woman was standing next to Akko again " Of course sir. I look forward to it."

"Outstanding! Well ladies, I have work to do and Miss Kagari has class. I look forward to hearing about your accomplishments!"

The girls bowed and went to leave, however before they reached the door, Lord Death spoke again "Oh, Miss Kagari, how is Miss Cavendish fairing?"

Akko stopped and turned, a fake smile on her face; "Oh, She's doing well, sir! She says she's going to be back at it in no time!"

Lord Death clapped his hands together "Fantastic, I would expect nothing less from Bernadette's daughter! Have a good day!"

(~*~*~*~*~*~)

That night, Diana sat in the library in her favorite window seat with her mother's journal. Even with the stunning view and the precious book in her hands, all Diana could think about was Akko. She had been so short with her partner today, then spent the rest of the day ignoring her. She hated herself for it, but she was in such a bad mood that she just could not handle her.

She wasn't even sure why she was in a bad mood. It had started that morning when Sucy mentioned her wrist, which in itself shouldn't have bothered her. She knew exactly what she could and couldn't do with it, and had accepted that. Yes, she wanted to fix it and pushed as hard as she could without making it worse, but there was no use crying over her current physical condition. She just had to work hard and fix it.

Diana closed the journal with a soft thump and set it aside before rolling up her sleeve and undoing the lacing on the clunky black brace she wore. There was a sense of relief as the cool air hit the hot, exposed skin and brought with it a small sense of calm. At least until Diana focused in on the scars crisscrossing her hand and wrist on both sides.

That hand had been the same for the seventeen years she had been alive. The skin had always been pale, smooth and unremarkable, like the rest of her complexion. She had done so much with it. She had learned to fight, and played with Merrill and read books. She had written and studied. She had buried her mother with it. She had killed a witch with it.

But now here it was, completely unfamiliar and totally different. Even underneath. There were several titanium rods and pins inside now, in place of bone that had been shattered beyond repair. Staples. stitches. glue. They had put her back together again but that didn't mean she could make it work.

Taking a deep breath, the blonde tried to turn her arm into a blade. It started to glow, and the form shimmered, but then there was the familiar stabbing pain running the length of her arm forcing her to stop. It was frustrating to say the least, she hadn't been able to change it, or herself, since the fight with Phrike back in January and now, not only was it getting in the way of her career, it was getting in the way of Akko's. Not for the first time, Diana wished she could cut the stupid thing off. It's not like she couldn't find something sharp enough to do it.

"Hey Diana." A voice pulled the blonde from her morbid thoughts. Looking up, she saw her girlfriend round the corner. Diana broke into a smile and went to get up, however the smile dropped when she realized Akko wasn't alone.

"Hey, I wanted you to meet my stand-in partner Kadri. Kadri, this is Diana."

Thinking quickly, Diana shook out her sleeve discreetly, covering her damaged hand, before stepping forward. "It's nice to meet you."

"And you as well."

The girl was...Diana couldn't think of another word, stunning. She offered her hand out for a handshake, leaving Diana no choice but to take it. She tried her best to give a firm grip, but the mangled appendage wasn't cooperating with her. Of course, this wasn't lost on Kadri either "Such a weak grip from one rumored to be so strong. Perhaps your reputation doesn't quite live up to the legend behind it."

Akko bit her lip _Oh no…_

Diana put on a carefully composed smile. "Ah yes, well, I was wounded in the battle with Phrike and still haven't quite recovered yet."

"I heard. You were wounded and Akko killed. I always thought the number one rule was protect your partner."

It took Diana a minute to come up with a retort; "Yes, we both had each others' backs throughout the fight. I actually acquired this particular injury protecting Akko. And then I also managed to restart her heart with chest compressions. So, Kadri, where are you from?"

The older girl flashed a deadly smile; "Turkey, actually. My father works for DWMA intelligence and felt that, at seventeen, it was high time I enrolled in school; especially with my utility ability"

Akko looked confused; "Utility?

"It means she can pair up with anyone she chooses to. Like Excalibur. Anyways, forgive me Kadri, I assumed you were from Estonia."

"And why is that?"

"Kadri is a boy's name in your area of the world, is it not?"

Akko couldn't believe Diana.

The dark-haired weapon nodded "Well, my father gave them the name for my birth certificate when the nurse mistakenly told him I was a boy. Tell me, your last name is Cavendish. Do you have anything to do with the banana industry?"

Akko stepped in before there was bloodshed; "Okay. So now that you've met Diana, let's go get something to eat!"

The weapon shook her head "No, thank you. I'd like to get some sleep instead. Tomorrow is going to be a long day, I think. I know the way back to the dorms. Have a good night Akko. Miss Cavendish."

There was a smirk on her face as she turned and left, making Diana's blood boil. Before she could do anything, however, Akko's voice pulled her away from her angry thoughts and back into reality. "- gotten into you Diana? I know she wasn't very nice but since when do you get like that?"

"Akko she started with me. What was I supposed to do?"

The brunette came forward and took Diana's hands in her own "I don't know. I just want you two to get along. Look I wanted to ask, are you alright? You've been avoiding me all day."

Diana squeezed her hands before leaning in and kissing her cheek "I'm fine. I'm sorry I was so short with you today."

A smile lit up Akkos face. "It's ok. I'm just glad you're alright. I was really worried about you."

The blonde's heart fluttered a little bit. It had been nine months since she and Akko had started dating, yet she still wasn't used to having someone care about her this much. There were still so many little gestures from Akko that caught her off guard and she didn't know how to respond. "Akko, I- you-"

Before she could even stutter something out, Akko cut her off with a soft kiss and a laugh "I love you too."

The two ended up wandering over to the window seat where Akko took a seat with her back against the wall. Then Diana sat and leaned into Akko who wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and held her. Public displays of affection weren't normally Diana's thing, however, the library was empty, and she felt that she owed this to Akko. Plus she wanted it herself.

She sat there for a little bit, watching the night go by and enjoying Akko's quiet company. Finally, in the arms of her girlfriend, she finally felt ready to read that entry. Reaching over, she picked up the small book and cracked it open, Smiling to herself when she felt Akko's chin on her shoulder and her arms pull her closer to her. She was reading over her shoulder.

 _Dear Journal,_

 _We did it! We killed a witch! I'm the first Cavendish in over fifty years to become a Death Scythe and according to Lord Death, the only person to ever do it before graduation. Not that I care about any of that; I'm excited because Adele and I can now save more people. We can take down more powerful Kishin Eggs and witches!_

 _The fight itself was incredibly intense. The witch, Medea, was incredibly powerful and favored long-ranged, poison-tipped projectiles, which made things a lot harder on Adele. She had to use me to deflect them, as well as try and gain ground and switch to the offensive, but she pulled it off! I've never seen her fight as well as she did today. She was stronger, faster and braver. She was pulling off every move and trick we had practiced. She even pulled off a Mulligan Counter. It's incredibly difficult but she did it flawlessly. From there we started our second stage resonance attack and destroyed the witch right there._

 _After I took the soul it… The power is indescribable. It's like nothing I've ever felt before. Tomorrow, Adele and I are going out with Professor Orix and Miss Marie, one of Lord Death's Death Scythes, to learn how to control it. Adele and I are both looking forward to it very much._

 _I suppose it's also worth noting I met a boy today. His name is Thomas, and he's studying to be an architect. He's doing some work on the school along with the master mason he's training under and I must say I- I'm glad he's going to be around. I enjoyed talking to him today. Adele was teasing me, saying that he likes me, he could hardly hold eye contact, however, I told her she was being foolish._

 _Daryl and Mother are both proud of me. Daryl yelled so loudly on the phone I thought my ear drum would burst. I've never heard her that happy but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. She doesn't laugh enough._

 _Well, that's all for now. I need to try and get some rest, although Adele is trying to talk me into celebrating. She says she has sources that can "hook her up" with alcohol so she can throw a "rager". She also said she's going to invite Thomas. Please pray for me._

 _Until next time._

 _Bernadette_

She sighed and leaned her head back into Akko, trying to drink it all in. Before she could even start to feel concerned about her future, however, Akko was leaning forward and kissing Diana's cheek. "We'll get there. Believing is our magic!"

Diana turned around and kissed Akko on the lips softly, catching her off guard. It took her a second but the meister figured out how to adjust her grip and kissed Diana back for a long moment, enjoying the closeness. When they finally broke for air, Akko leaned in and let her forehead touch Diana's "We'll be ok. I know it."

"I know." She said 'I know', but what she really meant was 'I hope'.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey everyone! Not much to say here, just a thank you for all the support! I hope you all enjoy the chapter, it's a little short but it's got some goodies for you all!

Chapter 4

"No Akko, faster. Before you- fall." Professor Ursula sighed as Akko tripped over her own feet yet again and fell on her face. Padded floor or no, it was still going to leave a mark. "Ok, let's try that again."

Groaning, Akko tried to sit up. She had been at this for an hour and still couldn't get the maneuver right. Not only that but her arms felt like lead from having the heavy katars strapped to them and her legs felt like jello from all the jumps and spins she had to do. The whole thing was just stupid. There was a level of elegance that came with using Diana that Akko had learned to appreciate. The blonde was slim, fast and very easy to use. Not to mention the bond that the two had.

Kadri, on the other hand, was totally different. The technique required to use her involved a lot of jumping, spinning, lightning quick jabs and slashes. The jabs Akko could manage but the spinning made her dizzy and she fell more times than she landed. Not to mention the jarring pain that raced up her arm every time she blocked a blow, not that she was supposed to even block with Kadri. No, she was supposed to twist out of the way and let her opponent's momentum carry them out of the way and create an opening, which felt completely wrong to her.

Sighing, Akko settled back into her starting stance and prepared to run the drill again.  
'Hold on Akko.' There was a flash of light and then Kadri was standing next to her. She walked around the meister so she was standing behind her. "Pull this arm back like this, and adjust your foot. Farther. Farther. Far-here let me."

The weapon stepped right up to Akko and pressed into her as she adjusted her hands and used her foot to push Akko's farther out. Akko, meanwhile, was beet red and very grateful that not only was Kadri behind her and couldn't see her face, but that Diana wasn't there either. Kadri's hips were pressed right into her lower back and Akko could feel every movement the brunette made.

If Kadri knew what she was doing to her partner, she didn't let on. "Ok, now watch how I do this." She walked over so that she was next to Akko, then she bent her knees, kicked her leg out and did a sideways flip. "Repeat the action, and when armed be sure to use the weight of the katars to give you more momentum. Make sure you kick out hard. Now try it again."

The meister nodded and shifted a little bit, then bent her knees and kicked out hard. She lifted off the ground, but instead of face planting, she tried to use her arms for greater momentum and was rewarded with her feet touching back down on the ground.

Ursula clapped; "Bravo, Akko you did it that was brilliant!"

Kadri nodded. "Yes, now do it another ten times."

"What?! It took me over an hour to get that right once!"

"That's great, but we need to make sure you have it down! Come, I will do it with you. Ready, set, go!"

(~*~*~*~*~*~)

Sore and bruised, Akko trudged through the hallways toward the door, eager to go home to a hot shower and pass out. Maybe eat something in between, she wasn't sure.

She came out of a hallway and was surprised to see a crowd gathered in the lobby. It was late, she couldn't understand why so many people were here still. Walking up to the crowd, she quickly spotted Amanda and Constanze. Pushing her way to them she tapped the taller meister on the shoulder "Hey Amanda, what's going on?"

The taller girl turned and smiled. "Oh hey, Akko. Two senior teams are coming back from a failed mission. I heard one of them lost a leg!"

That surprised Akko. The senior class was particularly good. Two teams getting beat up like that was troublesome. "How is that possible?"

Amanda shrugged. "I don't know. I heard Lord Death always puts one mission that's really, really hard up on the board, like professional level hard. Maybe they took it and bit off more than they could chew. Oh hey, here they come!"

Akko craned her neck to try and get a look as the door opened and an EMT backed in, pulling a gurney with an unconscious student strapped to it, covered in blood. His partner followed behind, helping to push the gurney along. Another EMT followed them, pulling a gurney of his own, it was the gurney that caught Akkos attention.

Unlike the other student, the boy strapped to this gurney was awake; shaking his head back and forth, mumbling non-stop, his eyes huge with fear. He was also covered in blood and, sure enough, missing the lower half of his left leg. Then came two more students, one supporting the other,limping along.

"Jay!" Amanda pushed through the crowd and went over to the pair. "What the hell happened to you guys! I had no idea you were involved!"

The girl that was supported shook her head "It- the kishin egg changed, Amanda! It was like a damn Pokemon, it evolved halfway through the fight! We almost didn't make it out of there, we wouldn't have if Gus hadn't-" she groaned and clutched her side "-taken that hit. His leg it-it was just gone…"

She groaned again and her friend adjusted her grip. "I need to get her up to . See you later O'Neil."

Amanda watched as they left, leaving the students to their thoughts. The lobby was silent, fear rippling from student to student. Transforming kishin eggs, senior teams being beaten to a bloody pulp, it was scary. If seniors were getting pummeled, what would happen to them?

(~*~*~*~*~*~)

"Again, Merrill."

"Mother, I can't!"

"If you're so set on learning to use your powers, you need to master this spell. It's one of the basics!" Daryl Cavendish shook her head at her daughter's shortcomings and tapped her foot on the old stone floor of the catacombs beneath Cavendish Manor.

Merrill turned to face her mother, frustration and anger reflecting in her ice blue eyes. "I never asked for your help!"

Daryl, however, was unimpressed. "No, but you clearly need it. Do you honestly think that I would let you train yourself and by extension risk you making an error that would either bring shame upon the family, or worse, expose us? Please, Merrill, you know me far better than that. Now try it again." She pointed across the room to Merrill's target, a small pot on a stand with a dying plant inside it.

Merrill glared at her mother before turning back to the plant and making the gestures: " _Louperil Ral!_ "

The plant began to glow a pale aqua color, it almost seemed to vibrate, but only for maybe thirty seconds. Then the light dimmed, vanished while the plant stopped vibrating. Merrill sighed with disappointment and collapsed her wand back down into the handle. Maybe she was no good at this. She looked at her mother, frustration and sadness on her face. "Well? Nothing to say this time?"

Daryl sighed. "I will see you at dinner. Make sure you clean yourself off first though, you're absolutely filthy." She turned and walked out, the sound of her heels clicking on the stone fading with every step until finally, Merrill was alone in the quiet gloom of the catacombs. She looked down at her hands, hating herself. How could she help Diana? She couldn't even fix a stupid plant…

..(*~*~*~*)

Daryl Cavendish sat down at her sleek, modernist desk and sighed. That girl was just… stubborn. Hard-Headed. Insufferable.

I wonder who she got that from…

What could she do with the girl? She wasn't going to give this up, and clearly, Daryl wasn't the one to train her. But who could she call? Her Aunt Meredith, the one who trained her, was long gone and it wasn't like there was a school she could enroll her in anym-.

Hmm. I wonder…

Reaching down, she opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out a crystal ball. She hated the stupid thing, it was archaic and antiquated, but older witches wouldn't use anything else. It was the only way to get in touch with them.

She waved her hand over the orb, said the spell, and waited impatiently as it began to glow. Seconds later it started to ring and finally, on the fourth ring, someone picked up. "Hello? I-is this thing on? Oh dear, maybe I should-"

Daryl cut the old woman off. "Miranda its on, I can hear you fine. How are you? It's Daryl Cavendish.

Miranda Holbrooke backed away from the ball a bit and her face came into focus. "Oh yes! Hello, Daryl. How are you? It's been so long. How are the girls?"

"That's actually what I wanted to discuss with you. Maril is doing well. With the help you gave us last Christmas we managed to lock her powers away. Merrill on the other hand…" Daryl sighed. "Merrill has chosen to pursue the path of magic. She wants to become a healer."

"Oh dear, does she understand what she's getting into?"

"I've tried to tell her but she refused to listen to me. What's more, I don't think I'm suited to train her."

"Oh? Well finding a suitable mentor is no easy task. Most of us are underground now."

"I know, I was just hoping as maybe a favor to me, you could find someone? She's going to get herself killed. She can't even do a simple _murowa_ , let alone soul protect. I- Miranda I'm worried about her. "

It took a lot for Daryl Cavendish to drop her guard and say she was concerned for family. She was always cool and in control, and she never let on when she was truly worried. But in private, with an old friend whom she trusted, she could afford some motherly concern, just this once.

Miranda looked at Daryl as she thought things over. "Let...Me talk to Anne and Samantha. Perhaps one of them would be interested."

"Thank you, Miranda. Really."

"Of course! I'll let you get back to work and I'll give you a call before the week is out."

"I look forward to it. Again, thank you."

"It was my pleasure! See you soon!" there was some fumbling and then the line went dead. Daryl leaned back in her chair, finally able to relax a little bit. Hopefully, Miranda could pull through, she didn't want to think about what could happen otherwise.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey all.

So, first and foremost, I hope all is going well for you all! before I go on, I'd like to thank everyone for the reviews and feedback. Its always appreciated and I love hearing from you guys, it also helps me to know what I'm doing right and what needs some work. Feedback is always welcomed and very appreciated so don't be afraid to reach out!

Now, I do have some bad news for you all. I'm dropping a double update for yall, but its probably going to be about three weeks before I update again. I had a family medical emergency (everything's fine now.) but I'm currently not home and I had other pressing priorities that I had to put on hold that now need attention. I think you all for your patience and understanding, and I'm really sorry =(

 **Chapter 5**

The student population weren't the only ones concerned with the recent attacks. Lord Death was also concerned. While he stayed calm and collected in public and soothed students fears, he called for an emergency meeting with three-star staff members.

Trixie sat at the table waiting for the meeting to get going, her nose buried in a book. She didn't look up until Death stood up "Hey hey everyone thanks for coming! How are you all?"

The room was silent while the twenty or so people just looked at him.

"Okay. Well moving on, I called this meeting, in case you were unaware, because of an emerging threat. There have been continued reports of kishin eggs evolving mid-fight, almost like they're adapting to the team they're fighting. We had two teams barely make it back. Croix, what are their conditions?"

Seated at the end of the table, the doctor stood and crossed her arms. " Jay has internal injuries and three broken ribs. Gus lost a leg and is suffering from a mental collapse. Helix has several major lacerations across his body and is suffering from severe blood loss. Liza has several bone bruises and a fractured wrist, but she would have died if Helix had not stepped in and taken the shot. For now, they're all stable."

Death nodded "Do you think they'll be able to recover?"

Croix chuckled and looked down the table at him "Of course. They have me as a doctor."

Ursula rolled her eyes while Lord Death nodded approvingly. "Very good! Ok, so I have intelligence running investigations into the incidents, And from now on, until we have a better understanding of what's going on I would like all teams going on two-star missions or better to operate in pairs of two or more. There's no rhyme or reason as to where or when the eggs will evolve, but just stopping missions all together isn't an option. So we will find safety in numbers. I would also like all combat teachers to help students explore alternative fighting styles and techniques. The monsters seem to adapt to whatever students throw at them, so perhaps throwing more at them, or changing styles after the evolution, will help. Are there any questions?"

Trixie raised her hand. "Sir, should we recall deployed teams?"

Death mulled it over. "Take it on a case by case basis. Some teams may be undercover and we wouldn't want to expose them"

The professors nodded. "Oh and one other thing. Croix, I want you to prepare to handle an influx of heavy trauma. Stock up on supplies, train extra help, whatever you need."

The lilac-haired doctor nodded. "Of course sir. "

"Alright, class dismissed!"

Several of the teachers gave the god a look, while others packed up and headed out. Trixie was almost to the door when Ursula caught up to her " Hey Trixie, how are you?"

The redhead shrugged "I'm alright, yerself?"

"Oh, I'm alright, thanks for asking! Did you have a nice summer?"

Trixie shrugged. "It- it was alright. What about ye, how is it going with Excalibur?"

Ursula chuckled. "Oh its-its going you know?"

"I can imagine. How do ye survive his storytelling parties?"

"Lord Death gave him a classroom on the top floor to have the parties in! People can come and go as they please. He seems to be happy with it."

The redhead nodded. "That's good. I'm glad yer getting along well."

"As am I. Speaking of, Have you heard from Arya?"

"Not a word. I tried a few times but she just wouldn't answer me. "

"Perhaps shes just busy?"

Trixie shook her head. "I doubt it. She's furious with me, for her to just pack up and head home like that, I won't be hearing from the lass again. In her eyes I completely betrayed her."

The two reached a T in the hallway and stopped walking. "Trixie I'm so sorry. If there's anything I can do, please let me know alright?"

"Thank s, I appreciate it. I have to get to class, I'll see ye later?"

Ursula smiled. "Of course!"

(~*~*~*~*~*~)

Akko sat in the library studying with Diana when Kadri came to find her, a tablet from the Mission Board in her hand. She tapped on her meisters shoulder and handed her the tablet "I want to do this mission."

The brunette blinded before looking down and reading it. "Kadri this is a combat mission."

The weapon nodded. "Your point?"

"I still can't handle you! I can barely block Professor Ursula's attacks!"

Kadri crossed her arms and gave Akko a look. "I think a field run is exactly what you need to help finalize things."

"Then how about you find her a different sparring partner rather than put her life in danger." Diana finally chimed in, looking up from her book.

"I'm sorry, this involves you how?"

"Akko is my partner, I don't need you getting her killed."

Kadri laughed and crossed her arms. "The last I checked, she's my meister."

Diana stood. "Temporarily. The moment my hand heals, she's going to be working with me again."

Kadri narrowed her eyes and took a step forward. 'Are you sure? From what I hear, your hand will not heal more than 60%."

The blonde also took a step forward, fire in her eyes. "Then you clearly don't know me very well."

The two girls stood there glaring at each other for a long moment before Akko finally stepped in. "Um- guys please don't fight. It's okay Diana, I can handle a mission. I'll be okay, I promise. Kadri, let's go fill out the paperwork."

Kadri stood, glaring at Diana a moment longer before turning and walking away. Akko looked at Diana a moment before turning and hurrying after her partner, leaving her girlfriend behind.

(~*~*~*~)

Croix was walking down a hallway of the school after classes, heading towards her office with a case of instant ramen. The tired September sun was hanging low in the sky, casting long shadows over everything and signaling the end of the day. Well, for most people anyways. Some people had huge caseloads that, while manageable, were still time-consuming.

Sighing, the doctor rounded the corner to her office and, after fumbling with her keys for a second, got inside. She was just setting the case down on her desk then there was a knock on the door behind her. "Hello, Doctor do you have a minute?"

Croix turned. "Why Miss Cavendish, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"My doctor said to give you this file. He said you needed it to allow me back into the physical training classes."

"Ah yes. Here I'll take it. You'll be back to light training next week most likely. Tell me, have you need able to change since the incident?"

light training

Diana sighed. "No. Not even partially."

It was easy to see that this was bothering the young woman. And gave Croix an idea. "May I look?"

Diana nodded her consent and stepped closer to the older woman, holding out her arm. Gently, Croix took it and undid the lacing on the brace so she could remove it. "Does the brace irritate your arm at all?

Diana watched as Croix traced scars with her thumb, feeling for anything abnormal. "No. However, it doesn't seem to breathe well."

Croix made a noise as she turned Diana's hand over. " It's probably because its a heavier duty brace. I think… Hmm." She pressed on a spot lightly at the base of Diana's hand. "Can you try and change your arm for me?"

The young weapon looked down at her hand, suddenly unsure of herself. She knew how this would end. Nonetheless, she closed her eyes and tried to tap into her power.

Croix watched as the arm began to glow and shimmer at Diana's will, however before the form could change Diana gasped in pain and everything stopped. "Hmm...That's interesting. Do you have it in you to do it again?"

"I think so, but why?"

The lilac haired doctor let go of Diana and leaned back into her desk. "I have an idea. I think your injury is blocking your energy flow to your hand."

"Energy flow?"

Croix nodded. "Demon Weapons, while not new by any means, are still a mystery to us. We still don't have a strong understanding of just how they work or what makes them tick. I'm part of a school of thought that believes that weapons have a kind of network running through them, similar to chakra, only it's believed to be soul energy. We believe that this network has several points along it that, when all open, allow the weapon to change forms. Should one of these points become damaged-"

" The weapon can't change." Concluded Diana. "You think that when they put my hand back together, they didn't know about the points, and now I can't change because at least one has been damaged or destroyed completely."

"Correct. However, I believe I may be able to fix it. "

Diana raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yes. Give me a few days to look into things and I'll let you know what I found, sound fair?"

"Yes. Thank you Doctor Croix, I really appreciate this!" Diana smiled brightly, joy for once lighting up her blue eyes.

Croix smiled back and waved her hand nonchalantly. "Please, Diana the pleasure is all mine."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The next week saw Akko do nothing but more training the Kadri. And the more time she spent with the attractive weapon, the less time she spent with her girlfriend.

Normally, Diana wasn't the jealous type. And she understood exactly why Akko and Kadri were spending so much time together. And she trusted Akko implicitly.

It was Kadri she didn't trust. And she worried a lot about Akko. She'd noticed during their semi-secret snuggle sessions in Akko's empty dorm or her empty apartment that bruises were popping up, and she was sore a lot of the time. Diana was just grateful that it was taking a long time to find a second team to go out with them. She wished it could have been someone like Arya and Trixie, but with them broken up that was impossible. She herself had even considered going against her doctor's orders, but even then she would need someone to wield her. And while she was getting better, she still had a hard time working with anyone who wasn't Akko.

So when Friday night rolled around, and she lay on the couch in Akko's arms, she was still a bundle of nerves. She felt like she was backed into a corner with no way out.

And worse still, Akko was catching on. "Hey Diana? Are you alright? You feel tense."

Diana snuggled into Akko a little bit. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Because if being the little spoon bothers you this much we can switch! I was only teasing I didn't mean to actually upset you!"

The blonde shook her head. "I'm fine. Really. Just tired."

"Well how about we call it early and I head home?"

"Akko, please. Just be quiet."

"Are you sure you're alrig-"

"Akko!"

Diana's tone cut like a knife and Akko fell silent. They lay there on the couch, an awkward and tense silence hanging between the two. Finally, Akko gave up. "Hey, I'm going to get going. I have early training tomorrow and I need to get some sleep."

Letting go, she carefully untangled herself from Diana and got off the couch. "I'll see you Monday." She kissed Diana's cheek and then she was gone before the blonde could object.

Sighing, Diana leaned back into the pillows of the couch, more frustrated than ever. Everything seemed to be blowing up in her face no matter what way she turned. Who knew, she'd probably start flunking tests next.

Not really sure what to do, Diana got up and went into her room, closing the door softly behind her. Crossing the dark room, she fumbled with her desk lamp for a second. Finally, it clicked on and she was able to see. Her mother's journal was right where she had left it, neatly placed on the shelf above her desk. Grabbing it, she climbed onto her bed and cracked it open to the entry she had left off on.

 _June 11th_

 _Cavendish Manor_

 _Dear Journal,_

 _I'm sorry I haven't been able to write as much lately, however, there's been increased witch activity in Sweden and Lord Death had Adele and I investigate. There's nothing to report on, however. It seems the witch was tipped off and had moved on before we even arrived. There was an old woman who said she saw a suspicious stranger come through just before the witch vanished, but she was the only one who saw them, and we felt that there was no point in pursuing the lead further._

 _I must say it's nice to be home. Lord Death has been running Adele and I all over the world, and while we enjoy the work, it's still nice to take some time out and relax. The weather today is lovely, and I write this while sitting by the lake behind the manor. The water is quite blue, reflecting back the few clouds that pass from time to time. Hopefully, Thomas will be able to come by in a bit. He took on a job restoring an old castle not far from here, so we're able to see each other much more frequently. I suppose we qualify as a steady couple now, seeing as we have gone on numerous dates in the two years since graduating, despite the distance and constant traveling on both our parts. I've grown quite fond of him, I suppose I could go so far as to say I'm in love with him. I must say, I never expected this. In all of my planning, in all of my dreaming of the future, I never thought to factor in the possibility of falling in love. What if this continues on? I don't know if I could settle down. I have so much work to do for the DWMA, I don't know if I could stop. I don't know if I would want to. I suppose I'm just going to have to take things one step at a time, and just make sure he's clear on where my priorities lie. Perhaps I should ask Daryl for advice. She's better with people than I am, and she might have a better insight._

 _Although I do have some hesitation to bother her. Daryl has gotten involved in the fashion industry, and while I'm not sure I approve of a Cavendish being involved in something so_ vain, _she's doing quite well, and I am proud of her. She's going to be attending Fashion Week in Paris, and she doesn't seem to talk about much else. Perhaps I'm going to have to resolve this relationship conundrum on my own. I would ask Adele, but the last time we discussed Thomas and I going on a date, she said something about making sure he "treated me to dinner before dessert" and while I'm still not completely sure what she was referring to, I do have a general idea, and the thought still makes me blush._

 _Well, that's all for now. I can hear the dogs barking in the kennels, which means there's a car pulling down the driveway, which means Thomas should be here. I'll write again soon._

 _Bernadette_

Diana sighed again and leaned back into her pillow. So her mother couldn't figure out relationships either. That was a relief. Not for the first time, Diana wished she was around to talk to. She was so out of her element here, and there was no one she could talk to about it. Not really. Anna was a bit out of touch for something like this, Merrill had little experience in this arena- the same with Hannah and Barbara- and her Aunt Daryl was definitely out. It still amazed Diana that Daryl had had the twins. She knew there had been someone else in the past, there _had_ to of been, but Daryl never discussed him and Diana knew better than to ask. She had asked her mother once, not too long before she passed away, but all she had said was that a man had broken Daryl's heart, and not to bring it up. It simply wasn't talked about.

And so Diana hadn't. _What is it with this family and secrets?_

It seemed like the family was full of them. Even the proud, honorable Cavendishes had dirty laundry. Go figure.

Turning her attention back to the journal, Diana began to read again. She was making steady progress through the books, and this was actually the fourth one in the series. She loved having the insight into her mother's life, into her head. It made her feel a little bit closer to her. It was probably the best she was going to get, and she was grateful.

She was just starting to drift off to sleep, in fact she was almost there, when she thought she heard a woman say her name softly, jerking her out of sleep. She sat forward, instinctively pulling her arm back and preparing to change it, forgetting for a merciful second that it was mangled and broken.

Looking around, she realized that not only was she alone, but her arm couldn't change. Sighing, she fell back into the warm pillows. _It must have been a dream. It's late, I really need to try and get some sleep._

Diana reached over and picked up her mother's journal, marked the page, and was about to close it when a line on the page caught her attention.

 _September 28th._

 _Trondheim, Norway._

 _Dear journal,_

 _This has been the most ridiculous week. Both at home and work._

 _Right now I'm writing from the small inn Adele and I are staying in. We were sent out to investigate another report involving witch activity, however yet again, there was no witch to be found. We did find where she had her lair, and that was the disturbing thing. It was ransacked. As far as we could tell nothing was taken, but almost everything was destroyed. We salvaged what we could and sent it back to the DWMA for analysis, along with what we believe to be blood. Adele believes that the blood belonged to the witch, she says she can sense lingering soul impressions from the blood, and it matches that of a witch. Which then bears the questions: Why? Who? It's concerning to say the least, but I'm going to try and not fuss over it, not until it's needed. I'll drive myself insane otherwise._

 _Speaking of insane, I just got off the phone with mother, and it honestly surprises me that she hasn't lost her mind. If you recall, several entries ago I mentioned that Daryl was attending Fashion Week. Well, it turns out that this past week she was there, but I guess she was spending her evenings in the company of a man. Mother is adamant that they had intercourse several times, and while I have yet to speak to Daryl, I have a feeling mother is right. I can't wrap my head around it. She's only 18 and yet she… I don't know what she's going to do if, heaven forbid, she becomes pregnant! I can't bear the thought! I need to call her, but I fear mother won't let me speak to her, she was absolutely livid. Daryl is probably chained to her bedroom._

 _And… while I'm a little ashamed to admit it, I kind of want to ask her about what it was like. Thomas and I still haven't… done it yet. He has implied, however, he's respected my wishes and refrained from doing more than kissing. I would be lying if I said I wasn't interested, however fear has held me back. I've seen how mother reacted to Daryl. I don't know what she would do if I, heiress to the estate and future head of House Cavendish, were to do something like that. It's expected that I marry and have children, and I'm expected to be a virgin on my wedding night. However I'm not so sure I want to follow that path. What I do is dangerous, and I shudder at the idea of dying in the line of duty and leaving a child alone._

Diana paused for a moment, very mixed emotions flooding her head and heart. "Mother…" She felt her eyes water a bit and she had to take a deep breath to calm herself before continuing on.

 _I'm going to bring it up with mother, but perhaps not until she's a bit calmer. With Daryl being...tarnished, I don't know if this is a duty I will be able to get out of. I'm not looking forward to going home. I'm almost hoping Lord Death sends Adele and I on another mission so I can avoid it a little longer. It's bad of me I know, but it's true._

 _Well, That's all for now. I'm exhausted, and I need to sleep._

 _I'll write again soon._

 _Bernadette._

Diana sat in stunned silence. It was a lot to take in. Almost too much. Revelations about her Aunt Daryl, her mother not wanting to inherit the estate. And then that thing with the witch…

It was all too much. Looking over at the clock on her nightstand, she realized it was almost 1 AM. She really needed to try and sleep, but with answers to at least one question sitting right in front of her, she couldn't help herself. She flipped forward, skipping over entries until she found what she was looking for.

 _October 2nd_

 _Cavendish manor._

 _First and foremost, it's good to be home. I slept for almost twelve hours and journal, it felt amazing._

 _After waking up and eating, I wasted no time and went to find Daryl. While mother skipped on the chains, my younger sister is currently grounded to her bedroom for the foreseeable future. I can't see her wanting to leave, though. I've never seen her so upset. It seems she was actually very much in love with the man she met…_

 _A young Daryl sat on her bed, knees pulled up to her chest and her face puffy and red from all the crying she had been doing. "I love him 'Dette… I-it's not fair!"_

 _Twenty-year-old Bernadette felt her heart crack a bit for her younger sister. "Did you learn anything about him? Name? Age?"_

 _Daryl sniffed. "H-he's nineteen. He's a meister named J-James."_

 _Bernadette shook her head. "There's a hundred meisters named James, Daryl." the heartbreak on her face was more than Bernadette could take. She sighed. "Did he say why he was in Paris?"_

" _He said he was o-on some kind of mission but d-didn't go into details. 'Dette, if he was a meister…"_

" _I can try and find out who he was, but I can't promise you any-" she was cut off as Daryl threw herself into a hug, holding on tight and crying again._

" _T-thank you Bernadette...thank you so much…"_

 _The older Cavendish smiled and hugged her sister back. "Your welcome."_

 _I truly hope I can find who this meister was. For Daryl's sake._

 _Well, that's all for now. I'm going to go for an evening ride on Ruby. I never thought it possible to miss a horse as much as I missed her this last week. She's as good a friend as Adele at this point, only less...rambunctious._

 _Until next time._

 _Bernadette._

Still no answer. She could skip ahead again, but honestly, she was tired. Marking her page, she leaned over and placed the journal on the desk before snuggling down and pulling the blankets over herself. She'd gone seventeen years without an answer. What was a few more days?


	7. Chapter 7

I'm not dead!

So it's been a bit longer than I initially planned on being gone, and I apologize for that. My excuse is a mix of post-convention depression, and me trying to play catch up on everything that I had blown off before the convention (it was a lot). So I hope a longer chapter makes up for my absence, and by long I mean this is my longest chapter out of any story to date (it's longer than Bogus Adventure) and it is chock-full of goodies. I have been DYING to kick off Merrill's story arc and to start working on mixing LWA and Soul Eater magic systems and lore, so I really hope y'all enjoy this as much as I did. It's probably worth noting I'm going to be going back to updating every two to three weeks, namely because, you guessed it, another convention is coming up! Hopefully going to be working LED lights into this batch of props, so that's going to be awesome, if I don't set anything on fire that is.

Shout out to my new beta, love you Red!

 **Chapter 7**

Akko sat in class Monday morning, attempting to read a book on basic katar usage while Lotte doodled on her notebook and Sucy took notes on a mushroom she was holding.

She was still struggling with Kadri. There was progress, yes, but it was slow and she wasn't looking forward to this upcoming mission. It was a simple one, just a low level Kishin egg, she and Diana could have dispatched it in their sleep, but Kadri was just so different.

She was demanding, headstrong, pushy. Where Diana was calm and patient, Kadri was forceful. Where Diana was kind, Kadri could be mean. Akko didn't like it at all. And then, sometimes, it almost seemed like Kadri was flirting with her. And that made things 100 percent worse. If this kept up, things would come to a head between her and Diana, and she honestly didn't know who would win. It wasn't a fight she wanted to see.

Finally, the bell rang and she started to pack up her things. She was almost done when a shadow fell over and she looked up to see Kadri standing over her. "Lord Death assigned us a second team. We're clear to leave by lunchtime!"

Akko almost groaned. "Alright, let me go find Diana and let her know. Then I'll get my things and meet you in the lobby?"

There was irritation on Kadri's face at the mention of Diana. "Fine, just try to be quick. I would really like to get going."

The brunette almost rolled her eyes as she stood and grabbed her bag. She couldn't wait until she was done working with Kadri.

(*~*~*~*)

It was fourth period, and finding Diana was easy. Ever the creature of habit, she spent every fourth period studying on an upper floor balcony overlooking the city. The view was amazing, and the breeze was always nice.

Akko stepped out into the morning air and headed over to the blonde, who was seated at a table reading a book and occasionally taking notes. "Hey."

The blonde looked up and for the first time that day, a smile crossed her face. "Hey."

She slid over so Akko could sit down next to her. The meister seemed down. "I have bad news…"

Diana knew. "You're leaving, aren't you…"

"Yeah. By lunch."

They were both quiet.

Finally after a few minutes, Diana looked up at Akko, sadness reflecting in her sparkling blue eyes. "Please, stay safe ok? Come back to me."

Akko smiled reassuringly. "I will, I promise." she leaned in and hugged Diana, who in turn hugged Akko back before letting go and blushing.

She was getting better, but feelings and displays of affection were still very foreign and awkward to her. Akko was so patient with her but she still felt really bad sometimes, wishing that she could easily show her girlfriend the love she felt for her. Sometimes she honestly felt like Akko deserved better.

Akko must have read her mind, because she reached down and took Diana's hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. "I should get going, Kadri is waiting. I'll see you in a week. Stay out of trouble."

Before Diana could stop her, Akko leaned in and kissed her softly for a second. And then she was gone, leaving Diana alone again at the table, with nothing but her schoolwork for company.

(~*~*~*~*~*~)

Meanwhile, Merrill paced her bedroom, the carpet muffling the click of her heels as she waited for someone to let her know dinner was about to start. This was probably the most important dinner of her life up to this point, and she was terrified she was going to blow it.

Her mother had informed her just a few days ago that she may have found someone to mentor her, and that they would be coming to dinner to meet her, and that if things worked out, she would be leaving with them to train. Part of her was excited, of course. This is what she had been dreaming of! The chance to finally learn how to use her magic and do good with it! Hopefully, this woman could do what her mother couldn't. Otherwise…

emNo, Merrill don't go there. She can help you./em

She considered calling Diana for a minute, then realized she was probably busy. And Maril had become distant since Merrill had begun to play around with her powers, so she was pretty much-flying solo at this point.

Finally, Merrill stopped walking and looked down at her hands, wondering what she could do with them and by extension, where her future lie. Would it be with magic? She knew there was an inherent danger to that path. She would have to become a master at Soul Protect as well as concealing magic in general. And even then Marrill wondered if it would be enough. If the DWMA got wind of her existence she would end up dead by the end of the week.

A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts, and she wasted no time walking over to open it, pulse picking up when Anna walked in. She hardly seemed to hear what the older woman was saying, but at least managed to get a thank you out before their loyal maid left. Merrill the door and leaned against it, taking a deep breath and trying to calm her nerves before she went down. She almost didn't want to, however fearing her mother's wrath more than the possibility of rejection, she turned and, after taking a deep breath, opened the door and headed downstairs.

(*~*~*~*~)

The candles in the chandelier above the dining room were all lit, the flames dancing merrily as Merrill walked in. The table was set, and mostly empty except for two other people. Her mother, seated in her usual spot at the head of the table, and who she assumed was her mother's friend. The woman was older and quite short, with pale green hair and deep blue eyes shining behind a pair of half-moon glasses. She seemed to be deep in conversation with her mother up until Merrill came in. She looked over and a kind smile broke across her face. "My my Daryl, she's grown into a beautiful young woman!"

Merrill blushed as she curtsied politely. "Thank you. My name is Merrill, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Daryl gave a slight nod of approval. "Merrill, this is Lady Miranda Holbrooke. She is a long time friend of mine, and a very powerful witch. Miranda, this is my daughter Merrill."

The older woman gave a nod to Merrill as the young woman took her seat. "It's a pleasure to meet you Merrill. Your mother tells me you would like to train as a healer."

"That's correct."

"Tell me, have you ever cast any spells before?"

"One or two. I learned I could do it after I cut my finger on a rose, and then I practiced on myself whenever I got hurt. I even managed to partially healed my cousin's shoulder wound last Christmas after it was run through with a spike."

Daryl's eyes flashed dangerously. "Diana knows?"

"Calm yourself Daryl. If Diana was going to do something it would have been done by now. If you can't trust family, who can you trust?"

Merrill watched her mother carefully, waiting for some scathing response, but to her surprise the older woman stayed silent, lack of searing retort making her wonder just how close her mother was with Holbrooke. She'd never heard someone talk to her mother like that and get away with it.

And then someone was taking her hand and she turned and jumped, startled to see the older witch suddenly at her side When did she…?

Miranda paid her surprise no mind, however, and continued examining Merrill's hand closely. "Strong yet soft, the hands of a healer. No callouses but a few small scars. Not accustomed to work, but curious and adventurous. I believe I can train you my dear, but I must see what you can do first. Is there anyone around with an injury?"

Merrill looked at her mother, who shook her head. "No. Our staff has an incredible safety record."

They all fell silent, thinking. Then Merrill remembered. "One of the hunting hounds tore an ACL a few days ago. Will that work?"

The older witch nodded. "Not ideal, but it will work in a pinch. Would you be so kind as to lead the way?"

"Of course." Merrill stood and went to leave with Miranda, but stopped when she got to the door. She turned back and realized her mother was still seated. "Mother?"

She didn't see the look Miranda was giving Daryl. Not having much choice, Daryl sighed and stood. "Yes, I'm coming."

(*~*~*~*)

The walk to the kennels was fairly quick. Located adjacent to the stables, the kennels were a low, short stone building. Inside, the main aisle had two large pens on either side of it, running the length of the room, giving the dogs ample room to run about when not being used on hunts.

Their destination was a separate room at the end of the aisle. Inside was warm, dark and quiet. In one corner was a table with gauze and some medical tools on it. In the other corner was a large pile of hay, with an old comforter on top. On top of that lay a brown hound dog. It looked up at their entrance with sad brown eyes and almost seemed to cower.

Merrill held out an arm, stopping Miranda and Daryl's advance. When she spoke her voice was soft. "Stay here…"

The older women backed off a few steps while Merrill approached slowly. As she walked, she extended out her hand and crouched down to his level. "Hey, how are you feeling handsome boy?"

Daryl watched as Merrill was able to approach the wounded animal, and how the dog seemed to relax and calm down. He allowed her to not only pet him, but even gave a halfhearted tail wag. It made her wonder how many times her daughter had been down here, she clearly had his trust.

Merrill, meanwhile, was scratching the dog behind the ear and speaking softly to him. After a minute, she waved them over. They walked slowly, careful not to startle the injured dog, however, he didn't even seem to care. He was too busy getting his ear scratched. Miranda smiled and held out her hand, letting him sniff it before she too started to pet him softly. "He really trusts you. Can you heal his leg?"

"I can try." Merrill shifted so she could reach his back leg easily. The vet had shown her where the muscles were, and where the injury was. She had never done this to an animal before, she just hoped she could pull it off.

Holding her hands over the dog's leg, she closed her eyes and tried to tap into her power. A soft golden light appeared under her hands, as well as a warmth that brought with it a calming effect.

Daryl watched her work and felt a strong sense of pride building in her chest. That was her little girl. She didn't quite approve of Merrill's choice, but she was still proud of her nonetheless.

Finally, she finished, and as the spell ended she swayed, the familiar loss of energy and onset of fatigue kicking in. She threw her hand out to steady herself and closed her eyes until it passed.

Daryl looked over to Miranda, who was nodding approvingly. The old woman shuffled forward and put a hand on Merrill's shoulder. "Good job, you handled that quite well for one your age. I'll have no problem training you, we can start as soon as you're ready to leave."

Leave? That caught Merrill off guard. She'd never been away from home for more than a week. And even then she had still been with her mother and sister. This was different. She didn't know if she could do this. The young witch looked up at her mother.

Daryl seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, however. Her gaze was fixed on a piece of wood paneling that ran the lower half of the wall, and her eyes were distant. Finally, she nodded. "Yes that's fine. She'll be ready to leave with you tomorrow morning."

"Excellent! Ok, lets go finish supper shall we? I know I'm quite hungry, and Merrill must be famished after a spell like that!" she didn't wait for an answer, instead choosing to shuffle out, her metal staff clacking on the wooden floor as she went. She didn't wait for either Cavendish, and soon enough they were alone, except for the sleeping hound behind them.

Both had things they wanted to say, neither could seem to figure out how to say it. For Merrill, it wasn't too unusual, but for Daryl it was totally foreign. Speechlessness was new to her, and she found she didn't care for it in the least. They stood like that for a minute, the silence heavy between them. Daryl knew Merrill was scared to leave home, and Merrill knew her mother's reservations on the path she had chosen. However like it or not, things were moving forward, and there was no stopping them now. They needed to talk, they just didn't know how.

Finally, Merrill went to speak. "Mother I-"

Daryl, however, held up a hand to stop her. And then before the young woman knew what was happening, her mother was stepping forward and hugging her. The unexpected show of affection was shocking. The older woman rarely showed any sort of positive emotions, and an outward display like this was practically unheard of. And yet this was most definitely happening. Gathering her wits, Merrill wrapped her arms around her mother. The older woman held on to her, stroking her hair softly. "I won't be here when you leave tomorrow. I want you to promise me you'll be careful, I don't need to tell you how dangerous this path is. Don't expect Diana to protect you if you misstep."

The young woman nodded and they finally broke apart. "I'll be careful mother, I promise. I'll make you proud!"

Daryl looked her over, taking notice of just how much Merrill had grown. She remembered how small she had been when she was born, and the fear she had had that she was too small to survive, despite the doctor's reassurances. Sure enough, she had grown into a strong, capable young woman. Daryl tenderly touched her daughter's cheek and when she spoke, her voice was full of pride. "I know you will."

(~*~*~*~*~*~)

emNovember 1st

London, England

Dear journal,

Well, it's been confirmed by the best doctor in England. Daryl is pregnant.

Mother. Is. furious.

I've never seen her so angry. They broke into a massive fight right in the exam room and the doctor actually had mother escorted out for fear of the stress she was causing Daryl hurting the baby. The main cause was mother insisting Daryl abort, however since Daryl is eighteen mother can't force her to do it. Daryl is already attached, and something told me she knew before we came. I've heard people say that sometimes a woman just knows, and it seems that- in this case- the statement is accurate.

Despite mother's wrath, Daryl is over the moon. She almost seems to glow with happiness, and I can't help but smile seeing it. The only downside to this situation is that, since Daryl is "no longer pure" as mother so kindly put it, I would have no hope of passing off inheriting the estate to her which means that at some point, I'm expected to marry and have a child. I'm not wild about the idea. As I've said before, what I do is dangerous. And I'm loathe to die in the line of duty and leave a child behind. I suppose I should just worry about that when I come to it, perhaps answers will come to me between now and then.

There are more serious things to focus on right now in anycase. The blood sample from Trondheim came back. It turns out that it's demon weapon blood. The strange thing is, there were no teams in the area at the time that the blood was spilled. Now there are weapons in the world who aren't involved with the DWMA certainly, but what are the odds of them coming into contact with a witch? It's suspicious. Adele says that she shouldn't worry about it and to let Lord Death deal with it, but I can't help but be concerned. I'd like to keep an eye on the situation, but the only lead we have is a splash of blood found in a destroyed shack in the middle of a frozen wood. I'm afraid I'm going to have to just keep my ear to the ground and hope something comes up. That's assuming I'm not being paranoid.

One last thing I believe is worth noting. Thomas and I have decided to move in together. He's taken up a permanent position in London designing high rise buildings and asked me a few days ago. I don't think he expected me to say yes, after all any flat pales in comparison to the manor, but there's one thing the flat would have that the manor would not, and that's him.

I have to go, the train is boarding. I'm due to head home with mother and Daryl before driving back to the city with my things this weekend. I'm very much looking forward to it.

I'll write again soon.

Bernadette /em

The bell rang, pulling Diana's attention out of her mother's journal and back to reality. She looked up in time for a paper airplane, no doubt thrown by Amanda O'Neill a few rows over, drift past her face and glide on to tap Hannah in the side of the head. She looked up, anger on her face as her cheeks grew red and Amanda waved at her, before turning back to stare stubbornly ahead at Professor Orix, who was taking the podium.

"Ok class settle down. One more plane and I'll throw you into detention O'Neill! Alright, so as you all know your first practical exam is coming up. This one is important, as it will help us determine how much you retained over the summer and what to do with you over the year, including what missions you can take. You will be sparring with a professor, not each other. Assignments are being passed around now, as well as the time and date of the exam. Failure to show will result in you being demoted to the NOT class. Am I clear?"

There was excited chatter amongst the students as the assignments were passed along. Grumbles here and there while others cheers. Barbara took a copy and passed it to Diana who was already reading it by the time it hit her hand.

emDiana Cavendish…... Medical Leave./em

For whatever reason the blondes' heart sank. Medical leave. It made her sound sickly. She leaned back in her chair, thinking. Maybe if she upped her treatment plan more she could get better in time. Akko fighting with Kadri would mess with her schooling big time.

emWait who is she fighting anyway?/em

emAtsuko Kagari…...James Nux /em

Diana's heart stopped beating as she remembered the last time Akko had gone against Nux. She had slipped by with with just two bruised ribs, but that was back when they had first started working together. Akko had gotten stronger since then, but Diana knew Nux had been holding back that day. Something he was less likely to do now that Akko was stronger. She would have to do something, or Akko was going to be in a lot of trouble.

And she knew just person to ask.

(~*~*~*~*~)

Croix sat at her desk, surrounded by open books and making notes in a large, well-worn notebook. She was just turning the page when there was a knock on the open door and looking up, she was surprised to see that it was Diana. "Miss Cavendish! What can I do for you?"

The girl almost seemed to hesitate, like she didn't know if she really wanted to say what was about to come out of her mouth. "Doctor, I was wondering if you ever found the time to look into a solution for my wrist?"

The doctor spread her arms and nodded with her head. "That's actually what I'm doing now. I may have found something if you're interested."

Diana nodded, and Croix noticed a look of relief in her eyes. "Very much so."

The doctor gestured to a chair across from her desk and the blonde came forward to take a seat. While she made herself comfortable, Croix went into her desk and pulled out a plastic disk about six inches in diameter. She set it in the middle of the desk and tapped the center, causing a red ring embedded in the plastic to glow. There was a soft click and then a virtual field was projected above the desk.

"Ok, so from what I've been able to gather, your soul wavelength travels through a network in your body, similar to the way chakra is believed to. After a bit of research, I believe this is what the network looks like." she leaned over and hit a button on her keyboard. There was a flash and then projected above the desk was the outline of a human body, with two dozen glowing blue points inside. "Now, when there are no obstructions and the wavelength can flow, you can change with ease. However, when there's an obstruction to the network, the wavelength will back up, like a traffic jam, and prevent you from transforming. This can overwhelm the points behind the blockage, also causing them to overload and causing you pain. Are you still with me?"

Diana nodded. "Yes of course."

Croix nodded. "Alright. Now, this is your wrist." she hit a button and the floating body disappeared, being replaced with what Diana recognized as the most recent x-ray of her wrist, with the rods being outlined in gold while the bones were grey.

Croix continued on. "Now I believe that this plate here is what's causing the issue." she clicked a button and screen zoomed in on the base of her wrist, where a plate was then outlined in red. "They used this to hold the pieces of the lunate bone together to heal. And because it's not hurting anything, they decided to leave it in after the bone healed. The problem is that it is, in fact, hurting something. This is the points network in your hand."

Croix hit another key and glowing blue points appeared on Diana's hand. And one was sitting right on the point in her wrist. "You see, Miss Cavendish, I believe the lunate point at the base of your wrist is being crushed by that plate. And because of that, the flow to your entire hand is being stopped. And because of that, not only can you not transform, but it's causing a huge back up of energy that's causing your severe pain every time you try."

Diana nodded. It made perfect sense. "Ok, so can you just remove the plate?"

Croix nodded. "I believe so. Your most recent x-ray shows that the bone is healed. There's a lot of scar tissue, and I'll have to be careful not to cut a tendon, but I can have it done and have you up and running in four to six weeks."

"No sooner?"

" This isn't something that should be rushed. Once this is done you're not to change until I give you the all clear, otherwise, you risk serious and permanent damage to the network in your wrist."

Diana nodded. This was foolish, she knew that. But she also knew that she couldn't let Akko get hurt. She had to protect her, that was what they founded their relationship on. A strong level of trust and drive to keep each other safe. The tests were in five weeks. She just had to hope she was healed enough by then.


End file.
